Corn-planter.



H. G. WOEHLER.

CORN PLANTER.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21, 1911. 998,938, 7 Patented July 25,1911.

2 amine-sum 1.

FIG. 1. 5

FIG- 2.

6 I X a a I; I 6 E F/CLJ. 15 6 5 '1'.) 5 M'r Ysssas V I 4 v INVENTOHENRY 6. WOLHLEI? COLUMBIA PLANOflRAPn 120-. WASHINGTON. n. c.

H. G. WOEHLBR.

CORN PLANTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAIL 27, 1911.

Patented July 25, 1911.

2 BHEETSSHBET 2.

llvvswroif .HENRY 6. M/OEHLE flTT COLUMBIA PLANOCIIAPH C0,, WASHINUPOI,I c.

n lr/wsssss UNTTE STATES ATE OFFIC. I

HENRY G. WOEHLER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-FOURTI-IS TOCHARLES MADLINGER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AND ONE-FOURTH TO CHARLESDOWNEY, OF IRONTON, MISSOURI.

CORN-PLANTER.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY G. lVoEHLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Corn-Planters, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a plan view of a corn planter of my improved construction.Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a crosssection taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailsection taken on the line k-d; of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged crosssection taken approximately on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is anenlarged section taken approximately on the line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 isa section taken on the line 7'7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is an enlargedhorizontal section taken approximately on the line 88 of Fig. 8, withparts of the rotating disks in the bottoms of the hoppers bro-ken away,for the purpose of clear illustration. Fig. 9 is a detail View of aportion of the mechanism utilized for rotating the dropper plate or disklocated in the bottom of the seed box or hopper.

This invention relates generally to corn planters, and more particularlyto the seed dropping mechanism located in the bottoms of the seed boxesor hoppers, to the devices which actuate the seed dropping mechanism,and to the means whereby the rotary motion of one of the wheels of theplanter is converted into reciprocatory motion, and imparted to thedropping mechanism.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a simple inexpensiveconstruction which can be readily applied to the type of corn plantersnow in general use whereby the rotary motion of one of the wheels of theplanter is converted into reciprocatory motion, and thus imparted to thedropper plates arranged for rotation in the bottoms of the seed boxes,and which motion transmitting and converting mechanism can readily bethrown into and out of operation at the will of the driver or operatorof the planter.

A further object of my invention is to Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 27, 1911.

Patented July 25, 1911.

Serial No. 605,026.

provide simple means for preventing over rotation of the dropper plateswhen the same are intermittently rotated to deliver the grains of corninto the chutes at the rear ends of the runners or furrow openers of theplanter.

To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully describedand claimed.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings 1 designates the mainor wheel frame of the planer, 2 the rear rail thereof, 3 the Wheels,preferably provided with grooved peripheries, 4 the runners, 5 thevertically disposed chutes at the rear ends of the runners, and 6 thehoppers or seed boxes located above the chutes 5. All of the parts justmentioned are of ordinary well known construction and, therefore, do notrequire a detail description.

The hub 7 of each wheel is journaled upon a stub axle 8 extendinglaterally from the side rails of the frame 1, and rigidly fixed in anysuitable manner upon each hub is a sleeve 9 carrying a disk 10, andformed on the inner face of said disk adjacent its edge is a series ofteeth 10 Loosely mounted on each sleeve 9 is a grooved hub 11 and formedon or fixed thereto is a disk 12 on the outer face of which is formed aseries of teeth 13 with which the teeth 10 are adapted to interlock whensaid disk is moved outward to its limit of movement.

Formed on or fixed to the inner face of each disk 12 is a series of camlugs 14, the same being arranged at equal distances apart. The groovedhub 11 and disk 12 are moved lengthwise upon the hub 9 by means of ahand lever 15 pivotally mounted at its lower end to the frame 1, andwhich hand lever carries a horizontally disposed rod 16, the end ofwhich is forked so as to engage in the groove of the hub 11. The handlever 15 is provided with a latch rod 17, the lower end of which isadapted to engage in the notches of a segment 18, which latter is fixedto the frame 1. Arranged to slide freely through bearings 19 located ontop and the bottom of one of the side rails of the frame 1 are rods 20the outer ends of which carry- 21 designates a vertically disposed leverfulcrumed on a bracket 22 between the bearings 19 and the inner ends ofthe rods 20 are pivotally connected to said lever 21.

Pivotally connected to the lower end of the lever 21 is one end of alink 23 the opposite end of which is pivotally connected to the rear endof a lever 24 fulcrumed adjacent its center to one of the cross bars ofthe frame 1,

[O'and the forward end of said lever 24 is pivotally connected to atransversely dis posed bar 25, which latter is arranged to slide acrossthe front of the frame 1, and with its ends operating beneath the seedboxes or hoppers 6.

Formed through the bottom of each seed box is an aperture 26 throughwhich the grains of corn discharge into a short chute 27 which leadsfrom the under side of the seed box into the upper end of thecorresponding chute 5.

28 designates a stud projecting upward from the center of the bottom ofthe seed box and arranged for rotation thereon is a 5 disk or dropperplate 29 provided with a series of openings 30 adapted to register withthe aperture 26.

Supported in any suitable manner by the stud 28 is a housing 31 in whichis positioned 30 a spring held out off finger 32, the point of whichrides directly on top of the plate 29 over the openings therein, and thepurpose of said finger is to prevent clogging of the grains of corn inthe openings 30.

Formed on the under side of each plate 29 is a series of depending lugs33, which occupy a groove 34 formed in the bottom of the hopper 6. Thereare the same number of these lugs 33 as there are openings 30 in 49 theplate 29, and a portion of the bottom plate of the hopper 6 in front ofthe opening 26 is cut away as designated by 35, in order that the lugs33 may be engaged by actuating means carried by the bar 25.

Carried by each end of the bar 25 are cups 36 in which are pivotallymounted spring pressed pawls 37, the points of which travel through thecut away portions of the bottom plates of the boxes 6, and said points 0being adapted to successively engage the lugs 33. Positioned on top ofthe bar 25 immediately to the rear of the pawls 37 are lugs 38, whichare for the purpose of engaging in front of one of the lugs 33 toprevent over rotation of the disks 29 when the same are partiallyrotated.

Arranged in each chute 5 is a vertically disposed valve plate 39, whichis pivotally mounted at a point adjacent its center to the front andrear walls of the chute 5 and the upper end of each valve plate isprovided with alug 40, which engages between a pair of lugs 41 formed onthe under side of the corresponding cups 36. These valve plates vibratewithin the chutes 5 and the grains the position shown in Fig. 4, andwhile thus positioned the disk 12 is held at its outward limit ofmovement and the teeth 10 on the disk 10 are interlocked with the teeth13 of said disk 12, thus said disk rotates with the disk 10, whichlatter is carried by the hub 7 of one of the traction wheels 3, and assaid disk 12 rotates the cam lugs 14 successively engage with theanti-friction rollers carried by the outer ends of the rods 20, therebymoving the same inward in succession which action swings the lever 21upon its pivot point and consequently imparts movement to the link 23and lever 24. The lever 24 upon being actuated imparts lateral slidingmovement to the bar 25 and the points of the pawls 37 carried by theends of said bar 25 engage behind a pair of lugs 33, on the under sideof the plates 29, and as said bar 25 moves laterally said plates 29 arecorrespondingly moved, thus effecting a partial rotation of said plates.When the bar 25 is thus shifted laterally the lugs 38 positionedimmediately to the rear of the pawls 37 are drawn into positionimmediately in front of the pair of lugs to the rear of the pair engagedby the pawls 37 as shown in Fig. 9, and thus the disks 29 are lockedagainst over rotation. hen the bar 25 is moved rearward by reason of thecam lug 14 engaging the anti-friction roller of the lowermost one of thepair of rods 20, the pawls 37 are drawn beneath and pass the positionsbehind the pair of lugs with which the lugs 38 were in engagement, andthus the parts of the dropping mechanism are in position for asucceeding operation. The openings 30 are of such size as to accommodatethree or four grains of corn, and as the disks 29 are intermittentlyrotated in the seed boxes these openings 30 each receive three or fourgrains of corn, and as the openings are successively brought intoalinement with the opening 26 by the intermittent rotation of the disks29 the corn or seed is discharged. As heretofore described said grainsof corn will dis charge through the openings 26, and pass through thechutes 27 into the chutes 5. The valve plates 39 are actuated with eachlateral shifting movement of the bar 25, and the grains of corn inpassing through the chutes 5 will be caught between the lower ends ofthe plates 89, and the walls of said chutes 5, and temporarily heldbefore discharging from the lower ends of said chutes 5 into the furrowsmade by the runners 4;. Clogging of the grains of corn in the openings30 is prevented by the spring held fingers 32 which yieldingly scrape orcut ofi excess grains of corn which may be partially located in theopenings 30.

Then the planter is being taken to and from work the dropping mechanismis thrown out of operation by moving the hand lever to the positionshown in Fig. 5, and when said hand lever is shifted the yoke on the endof the rod 16 engaging in the grooved hub 11 slides said hub and thedisk 12 laterally, and thus disengages the teeth 13 from the teeth 10.When so positioned the disk 10 rotates without effecting rotation of thedisk 12 and consequently there is no actuation of the droppingmechanism.

A corn planter of my improved construe tion is comparatively simple, ispositive in action, and the dropping mechanism, which is actuated fromone of the traction wheels of the planter can be easily and quicklythrown into or out of operation at the will of the operator.

It will be readily understood that minor changes in the form andconstruction of the various parts of my improved corn planter can bemade and substituted for those herein shown and described withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. The combination with a corn planter provided with the usual tractionwheels and seed boxes of perforated plates arranged for rotation in theseed boxes, a transversely disposed bar arranged for reciprocatingmovement on the frame of the corn planter, the ends of which bar operatebeneath the seed boxes, means carried by said bar for engaging theperforated plates, and partially rotating the same, a toothed disk fixedon one of the traction wheels of the planter, a disk arranged to slideon the hub of the wheel adjacent said disk, teeth on the rear side ofsaid sliding disk adapted to engage with the teeth on the fixed disk, ahand lever connected to said sliding disk for mov ing the same,projections on the front face of the sliding disk, a pair of rodsmounted for sliding movement in the frame, which rods at one end aresuccessively engaged by the projections on the sliding disk, a leverfulcrumed to the frame of the planter between said sliding rods, andwhich lever has pivotal connect-ion with said rods, and connections fromsaid lever to the reciprocating bar.

2. The combination with a corn planter, provided with the usual tractionwheels, and 'seed boxes of perforated plates arranged for rotation inthe bottoms of the seed boxes, a bar for simultaneously impartingpartial rotary movement to the perforated plate, a toothed disk fixed onone of the traction wheels of the planter, a disk loosely mounted on thehub of the wheel adjacent the fixed disk, teeth on the rear side of thesliding disk adapted to engage the teeth of the fixed disk, means forimparting sliding movement to the loosely mounted disk, lugs on the faceof the sliding disk, which lugs are arranged at equal distances apart, apair of members arranged for sliding movement on the frame of theplanter, which members are engaged at one end by the lugs on the disk,and connections from the opposite ends of said members to the perforatedplate operating bar.

3. In a corn planter, the combination with seed dropping means, ofintermittent operating means therefor, comprising a disk mounted forsliding movement upon the hub of one of the planter wheels, meanswhereby said disk is locked to the wheel to rotate therewith, a seriesof lugs formed on the face of said disk, a pair of rods mounted forsliding movement on the frame of the planter, which rods at one end aresuccessively engaged by the lugs on the disk, a lever fulcrumed to theframe of the planter between the sliding rods, and which lever ispivotally connected to the sliding rods at points equidistant from thefulcrum point of said lever, and connections from said lever to the seeddropping means.

In testimony whereof I hereunto atfix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses, this 16th day of January, 1911.

HENRY G. WOEHLER.

Witnesses:

M. P. SMITH, CHAS. MADLINGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). C.

